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Quick Hits: Indians, Red Sox, Dylan Bundy

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On this day in 1949, Cleveland owner Bill Veeck and a group of players held a funeral service to bury the 1948 pennant in centerfield. The Indians were mathematically eliminated from the American League pennant race 24 hours prior on their off-day. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines from around the league…

  • Finding a reliable backup for Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop should be a priority for the Indians this offseason, opines Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland has relied on the services of Brent Lillibridge and Jason Donald for the majority of the season but mixed results and general inconsistency have left manager Manny Acta in search of another option. "We really need somebody, when we give Cabby a day off or he goes down, who can step in help us out. It's been an issue… It's been an issue."
  • Pawtucket pitching coach Rich Sauveur's big league aspirations may soon come to fruition with Boston's coaching staff facing uncertainty this offseason, writes Brian MacPherson of The Pawtucket Journal. "I want to be a pitching coach in the big leagues," Sauveur said. "I've wanted that ever since 2000 when I retired." The former Major League left-hander will spend the final two weeks of the season with the Red Sox as a reward for his strong contributions to the PawSox.
  • Orioles top prospect Dylan Bundy's Major League debut against the Red Sox on Sunday didn't come without a hitch, reports MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. The 19-year-old right-hander couldn't find his glove when the call came to the bullpen requesting his services on the mound. "Tommy Hunter answered the phone and told me I was going in. I said, 'What?' and I couldn't find my glove. Took me about a minute to find it," Bundy said. "He told me to get going, so I was like, OK, its happening, and I got loose as quick as I could."

AL East Links: Blue Jays, Reynolds, Yankees

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The Rays' chances of making the playoffs are slim at 4.4%, but the Yankees and Orioles are on track to secure postseason berths, according to the playoff odds report at Baseball Prospectus. Here are some afternoon links from the AL East…

  • The Blue Jays had two scouts at the Tigers-Athletics series in Detroit this week, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. The Blue Jays could have interest in trading for A's left-hander Brett Anderson, who left yesterday’s game with a strained oblique, or signing Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is expected to seek starting pitching this coming offseason.
  • It wasn’t long ago that Mark Reynolds’ 2013 option ($11MM with a $500K buyout) seemed unreasonable from the Orioles’ perspective. Now that Reynolds is producing at the plate, it’s at least worth debating, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. The Orioles appear to want Reynolds back for 2013, which wasn’t the case for the first few months of the season. 
  • On the other side of the infield, Manny Machado is making a solid case for entering the 2013 season as Baltimore’s starting third baseman, according to Kubatko.
  • Homegrown starters Phil Hughes, David Phelps, and Ivan Nova have helped the Yankees immensely at a time that the team's veteran starters are struggling, Mike Axisa writes at River Ave. Blues. The Yankees get criticized for not developing enough pitching, but Hughes, Phelps and Nova have pitched well of late.
  • For more notes from the AL East, check out this post from earlier today.

AL East Notes: Bundy, Pettitte, Kuroda

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Before the regular season began, I suggested the Orioles were likely headed for a 60-75 win season and added that there’s “not much to dream on” in Baltimore. My mistake. With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Orioles are tied for first place in the AL East and they’re likely headed for the postseason. Here’s the latest from the division, starting with one of the game’s top pitching prospects…

  • The Orioles are promoting top prospect Dylan Bundy to the Major Leagues following their 18-inning win over the Mariners, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Orioles hadn’t intended to call Bundy up, but they need pitching and he’s viewed as someone who can help them win.
  • The extended absences of Michael Pineda and Manny Banuelos have been damaging for the Yankees in the short term and in the long term, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. The young pitchers were expected to provide the Yankees with quality innings and help the team avoid the luxury tax threshold by 2014. Instead, they’ve been injured so the Yankees will feel pressure to re-sign Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda this coming offseason, Sherman reports. 
  • The Yankees still have some hope that David Aardsma could pitch this year, Sherman adds. They signed the reliever with 2013 in mind, knowing that most of this year would be spent recovering from Tommy John surgery.

AL East Notes: Escobar, Orioles, Chavez

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The Blue Jays announced that they’ve suspended Yunel Escobar for three games because the shortstop played with a homophobic slur written under his eyes in Spanish this past weekend. Here are today’s AL East notes, starting with the Blue Jays…

  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com suggests the Blue Jays will make Escobar available in trades again this coming offseason. Knobler expects Escobar will draw interest, despite his poor offensive performance and the perception that he can be a difficult teammate. The Blue Jays had planned to move Escobar to second base, but were apprehensive about having to deliver the message to the 29-year-old, Knobler reports.
  • When Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette got started in Baltimore, he said he wanted to improve his team's on-base percentage and acquire talented players who weren't getting opportunities elsewhere. As Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains, Duquette has found unexpected contributors, but hasn't improved the team's on-base percentage. Expect Duquette to look for players with above-average on-base percentages this coming offseason.
  • Endy Chavez's presence has made the Orioles’ search for outfield help less urgent, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

Outrighted To Triple-A: Ryan Adams

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The latest outright assignments from around MLB…

  • The Orioles announced that they outrighted Ryan Adams to Triple-A Norfolk (Twitter link). The Orioles removed the infielder from their 40-man roster earlier in the week after he posted a .225/.317/.348 batting line in 279 plate appearances across three minor league levels this year. Adams, 25, appeared in 29 games with the Orioles in 2011.

Orioles Release Kevin Gregg

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The Orioles announced that they released right-handed reliever Kevin Gregg (Twitter link). They had designated Gregg for assignment earlier in the week to create space on the 40-man roster.

Gregg signed a two-year, $10MM contract with Baltimore after the 2010 season, but he struggled with the Orioles, posting a 4.53 ERA from 2011-12. He appeared in 40 games this year, posting a 4.74 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and a 47.8 % ground ball rate in 43 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old's contract included a $6MM team option for 2013 that evidently won't be exercised.

Orioles, Showalter Expected To Discuss Extension

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Not only have the Orioles officially ended their streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons, they retain a share of the AL East lead with an 81-62 record. Manager Buck Showalter is under contract for 2013, but the Orioles could look to sign him to an extension that covers additional seasons, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. 

The Orioles want Showalter to stay and though there’s no timetable for extension talks, they could take place over the winter or during the 2013 season. Neither side has broached the subject of an extension so far, Kubatko reports. However, Showalter has no interest in discussing an extension with just 19 games remaining in the regular season. A high-ranking Orioles official told Kubatko Showalter has done enough to earn an extension when the time comes to discuss one. 

"We don't want him to leave,” the person said. “We want him to stay and he's going to stay. He's a special guy."

Showalter joined the Orioles toward the end of the 2010 season and led the team to a 69-93 record last year. His contract runs through 2013.

Quick Hits: LaRoche, Gregg, Astros

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A few stray links to pass along as the Phillies reach the .500 mark for the first time since June 4 with a win over the Marlins …

  • Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche "would love to stay" in Washington, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Last week, we heard that the Nats are likewise interested in retaining LaRoche. However, the left-handed hitter is enjoying a career year and is likely to seek a multiyear contract since his 2013 mutual option calls for a salary of $10MM. Kilgore adds that the Nats will wait until the season is over to commence extension talks with their players, as the organization is focused on its impending postseason berth.
  • Orioles manager Buck Showalter said reliever Kevin Gregg's DFA earlier today was the best situation for both the club and the pitcher, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The Orioles needed the roster space, while Gregg may have the opportunity to start anew with a different team and pitch more regularly — as he had several long stretches without seeing game action this season — and perhaps set himself up to latch on with a team in 2013, Showalter explained.
  • Gregg was nonetheless "really disappointed" to be leaving the O's, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. 
  • Astros interim manager Tony DeFrancesco is a candidate to assume the role on a full-time basis when Houston conducts its interviews during the offseason, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. DeFrancesco has spent most of his professional coaching career in the Athletics' organization, which he said prepared him well for a managerial job with a team like the Astros that relies heavily on advanced analytics.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Indians, Free Agents

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The Orioles decided to rely on internal options in the outfield after surveying the market for trade targets, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The Orioles had some interest in Juan Pierre, but it appears they’ll rely on players such as Nate McLouth, Chris Davis, Xavier Avery, Endy Chavez and Lew Ford in the outfield with Nick Markakis injured. Here are today’s links…

  • Jim Bowden lists some potential destinations for the offseason’s top free agents at ESPN.com. For example, could the Yankees could be a fit for Josh Hamilton? Could the Dodgers land Zack Greinke? Here’s MLBTR’s list of 2013 free agents.
  • Indians ownership was "unhappy" with the team's second half performance, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. GM Chris Antonetti said "nothing is new" regarding the job security of manager Manny Acta. "I don't think anyone's happy with where we are or how we've played," Antonetti said.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo offers a report on the latest transactions involving top prospects.

Orioles Designate Gregg, Adams For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that they have designated right-hander Kevin Gregg and infielder Ryan Adams for assignment. The moves create 40-man roster space for Endy Chavez and L.J. Hoes, whose contracts were selected from Triple-A Norfolk.

Gregg signed a two-year, $10MM contract with Baltimore after the 2010 season, but he struggled with the Orioles, posting a 4.53 ERA from 2011-12. He appeared in 40 games this year, posting a 4.74 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and a 47.8 % ground ball rate in 43 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old's contract includes a $6MM team option for 2013 that evidently won't be exercised.

Adams spent the entire 2012 season in the minor leagues. The 25-year-old posted a .225/.317/.348 batting line in 279 plate appearances across three levels this year, playing second and third base. Adams, the Orioles' second round selection in 2006, appeared in 29 games at the MLB level last year.

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